Product Description

Sandwich represents hope for twenty-year-old Maddie Buckner and Kyle, the eleven-year-old brother Maddie wants to spring out of foster care. Then she loses her new job after less than an hour on the clock. It's all Reuben-the-Jerk's fault, and she's determined to make him right the wrong.

He does so, reluctantly, by giving her a job at his restaurant, The Sandwich Shop. Then crazy things start happening at the restaurant, and Kyle's foster parents apply to adopt him. To stop it all, Maddie must learn the art of humbling herself and accepting the help God has arranged, risking her heart to Reuben in the process.

Product Information

Publisher's Description

She moved to Sandwich, Illinois, in search of a new life, but ended up in a giant pickle. Sandwich represents hope for twenty-year-old Maddie Buckner and Kyle, the eleven-year-old brother Maddie wants to spring out of foster care. Then she loses her new job after less than an hour on the clock. Its all Reuben-the-Jerks fault, and shes determined to make him right the wrong. He does so, reluctantly, by giving her a job at his restaurant, The Sandwich Shop. Then crazy things start happening at the restaurant, and Kyles foster parents apply to adopt him. To stop it all, Maddie must learn the art of humbling herself and accepting the help God has arranged, risking her heart to Reuben in the process. And shed rather eat a million corned-beef on rye sandwiches than do that. "Dont let the light-hearted cover and title fool you. Krista Phillips spunky, rough-around-the-edges heroine may be tickle me funny, but her faith journey offers more than a cute read. There is depth here, made all the more satisfying served up with a generous side of romance." - Tamara Leigh, author of Restless in Carolina and Dreamspell"Krista Phillips' book is much like a submarine sandwich--multi-layered and loaded with tasty delights. There's a little something for everyone: a light, quirky opening, and an ending that packs a punch. Yum!" - Janice Thompson, author of the Weddings by Bella series "Krista Phillips is a unique and entertaining new voice in contemporary Christian romance. She brings a fresh, young perspective to the genre and left me eager to read whatever she writes next." - Kaye Dacus, author of Stand-In Groom (Christy Award Finalist 2010), The Brides of Bonneterre series, and The Matchmaker series "In Sandwich, With a Side of Romance, Krista Phillips will win you over with her witty, entertaining, laugh-out-loud writing style. She's created loveable, quirky, down-to-earth characters with real life struggles. As the characters wrestle to overcome their problems, you'll find yourself cheering them on and savoring the sweet but sassy romance that ends with a blissful sigh." - Jody Hedlund, best-selling author of The Preacher's Bride "With lovable characters, an engaging plot, and a swoon-worthy romance, debut author Krista Phillips has penned a novel that will have readers laughing and flipping pages well into the night. Sandwich, With a Side of Romance is a refreshing and enjoyable read!" - Katie Ganshert, author of Wildflowers from Winter

Maddie Buckner is having a really bad day. Not only are her chances of regaining guardianship of her younger brother Kyle not going well, but she gets fired from her job on her very first day.

Ruben really doesn't need a new employee, but if he really was going to be honest, he did overreact and it was his fault that Maddie lost her job, so he hires her as his personal assistant.

My thoughts_ This was a very straight-forward, sweet romance, in which both Maddie and Ruben struggle with life while trying to decide what God want's for them. You don't really find this kind of story except maybe in the Amish books. There were a few parts that were over the top, but overall they didn't seem to impact the story.

Maddie is a reformed street girl who has placed her trust in Jesus as her savior and is desperately trying to get her life together. I have to admit in the beginning Maddie really got on my last nerve. All her sarcasm and snarky remarks especially toward God whom she justified it by saying she we just being herself. This type of thing borders on disrespect in my opinion. But, she did grow on me as the book went on. I liked the spiritual and mature growth of Maddie. She made a real effort to grow closer to God which allowed her to grow up and make better choices. I thought this brought a great reality to the story.

Ruben, I don't know about him. He was supposed to be smart businessman, but there were a few times that he was so clueless about Maddie, about Liv, about his family. His whole identity and focus seemed to be wrapped up in building his father's sandwich shop into a national business and I just didn't see the growth in him that I did in Maddie.

There were some great secondary characters, Rubens mom and step-fathers. They took Maddie right in and "killed her with kindness". Those were some truly hilarious scenes that had me laughing out loud.

Over all, if you are looking for a sweet light romance with lots of God then I would say this is the book for you.

When I began reading this, I wasn't sure I would like it. I have read so many vapid, sappy Christian romances, and I am often disappointed in both the story and the message. Well, I couldn't have been more wrong. This is a delightful romance, and I can honestly recommend it pretty highly. The story and the characters are fun. Actually, if Reuben is real, I'll drop everything and marry him now. And Maddie is an easy relatable character.

I found the message excellent. In fact, I was reminded that telling God what you want in life is wrong. After all, who is really in charge? I think both Reuben and Maddie learned that valuable lesson, and I only wish that real life could be as wonderful and fun as this story. The book is filled with great humor (I always love that) and one headstrong woman. And an arrogant man. Pretty par for the course.

I honestly can't think of anything that would improve this. It was refreshing to read a clean romance with no profanity nor sex scenes. In fact, the characters believe no sex outside of marriage. They even take precautions to make sure it doesn't happen. And there are some neat twists and turns that should heighten your interest even more.

I don't want to include any spoilers, but I absolutely adored the final line in the book, and it is the ideal way for this sweet book to end. This book will give you a nice break from real life and remind you that God can do anything even when life doesn't make sense.

i was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.

Sandwich With a Side of Romance is a well-seasoned and balanced blend of flawed personalities trying to live as the Christians they are. They do falter and then get back on track in varying ways. Despite the personality challenges and realistic obstacles, the main characters grow spiritually. God's favor shines through on their relationship. The book shows Christian love in action helping the needy. It also shows the difficulty in admitting to need.

You will not be disappointed by this book in any way except that it comes to an end. I hope the future will bring the pleasure of another story of Maddie, Reuben and their family and friends. Maddie is an unforgettable character who you want to cheer for as she meets and overcomes challenges.

From the first chapter I was drawn into the world of this debut novel. Witty, funny, snarky and mixed with a dose of suave and you've got a contemporary romance healthy in humor and nutritious in the romantic conflict department. (Okay, ending the food metaphors here, I promise)

Maddie is a baby Christian with sort of a false sense of prayer and all God is. But she's trying and she wants to honor the God who has saved her_but on one condition: she cannot fall in love with her boss. I don't think Maddie knew the meaning yet of the genre she was being written in to_

Sparks fly in this novel of grace, acceptance and trust that God has the very best plans no matter how much we might pray otherwise. So many moments had my family looking at me funny as I snorted and laughed my way through the book. Maddie has got the quirkiest sense of humor and ability to find the snark in each moment. She knows how to make a book fun.

The novel isn't all light and fluff. It serves up its own dose of painful backstory that affect the characters. At first I thought it a difficult contradiction to reconcile with the amount of humor, but found character growth in the end to make it all a delightful read.